Bergans of Norway Wiglo LT4

Specifications:

• Persons: 4
• Season: All
• Weight: 8lb 13oz (Outer Tent) 4lb 6oz (Inner Tent)
• Footprint: 157.5” x 135.8” x 70.9”
• Sleeping area: 59.2 sqft
• Price: 549.90€ ($725.77)

Our Thoughts:
It isn’t every day we come across a tent that makes us stop and take notice. The Bergans of Norway Wiglo LT4 is one of those tents. The design is unlike any other we have seen here in the US, and it is for a reason. The Wiglo LT4 is based on the Lavvo-style Norwegian hunting tents and it incorporates a center pole design with three flexible tent poles running radially to provide taller walls and a more open floor plan compared to other tents. The tent provides plenty of room for four people and all of their gear, an invaluable feature, but definitely not an industry standard for four-person tents. There was so much space that we could fit Gus, his big bed, our packs, both of us, and would have had enough room one more person. The almost vertical walls in the tent made the difference; Krista was able to stand up in the center of the tent and had plenty of space to move around near the edges of tent.

There is one main door and two side doors--each has a vestibule covered by the rain fly. The door vents can be unzipped to get a nice cross breeze. The rain fly can also be tied back to get additional ventilation. The extra ventilation is important when camping in warmer weather. The tent quickly heats up in the sun, even in temperatures are hovering around freezing. At the top of the tent there are three air vents; each has mesh netting with a closable drawstring to keep insects out but allow an updraft of air to keep the inside of the tent cool.

The tent was very easy to set up--there were one vertical center support pole and three external tent poles. Even our first time setting up the tent, in the dark, we didn't have much trouble. The three external poles are slid into the rainfly, supporting the structure, and the cabin of the tent is hung from the rainfly. Incorporating the main tent into the rainfly made for one less step in setting up the tent.

I always say the little things can either make or break a design, and it is the little things incorporated into the design of the Wiglo LT4 that made this tent shine. I liked how the zippers were fitted with glow-in-the-dark pull tabs—they made it nice when setting up the dent in the dark and when needing to get out of the tent in the middle of the night. The door, and more importantly, the rain fly opening, were tall enough to get into the tent without having to crawl in. It just takes a stooped posture to walk into the tent.

The only problem we encountered with the tent was the center pole. The center pole comes in sections which are nested within itself. It wasn't intuitive as to the order the pieces should be put together. We would suggest either number coding or color coding the tubes that comprise the center pole so the consumer knows the order in which the pole should be put together and the order in which the tubes should be re-nested. The end caps covering the nested center pole tubes were so tight that we were barely able to remove them (only by putting the caps between our shoes and pulling up on the tubes).

Conclusion:
We really enjoyed using the Bergans of Norway Wiglo LT4 on our trips this fall. It has been a great tent to sleep in and we are saddened that our review period is up and we have to send it back. We would recommend this tent for small families or those people, like us, who travel with their dogs. It really is amazing how much room you have inside the Wiglo and, when folded up and stored in the carrying bag, it is only slightly larger than our The North Face Boulder 33 3-season tent. The additional room of the Wiglo makes all the difference for us traveling with our German Wirehaired Pointer. As we were leaving one morning to head home, we saw groups of people camping in their huge RVs, Krista said, "if they had a Bergans tent they wouldn't want to camp in an RV.”

Disclosure of Material Connection: Bergans of Norway loaned the Wiglo LT4 to us for the duration of the review.

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Author

Beau Johnston is an engineer, writer, and photographer who is dedicated to proving you can find a balance between work and life. He is the Co-Founder and Publisher of Living Overland and an Editor-at-large at Toyota Cruisers and Trucks Magazine. When he isn't working, you can find him exploring National Parks, fly fishing, and camping with his wife (Krista) and their two dogs.

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